A Romantic & Enchanting Italian Wedding in the Umbrian Valley

Federica Cavicchi Maria Gilles for Love My Dress 93

How might you feel about escaping to a beautiful Umbrian valley today, to enjoy a glimpse into a dreamy Italian wedding?

This is an elegant celebration, taking place in the historic surroundings of a medieval abbey, with lots of gorgeous details to take in, all combining in a place of enchantment. The colour palette of soft sepia tones – in the photography, flowers, decor, and even the walls of the abbey, all combine to create a warm, welcoming and romantic atmosphere.

Film by Matteo Fotografia.




This is the wedding of Maria, Director for TransFast, a money transfer company, and Gilles, Worldwide Operations Director for Whisper Group. They celebrated their marriage on the 13 July 2018, at the splendid Abbazia San Pietro in Valle, Ferentillo, in the province of Terni in southern Umbria, Italy.

Images by Federica Cavicchi Photography

Italian wedding in Umbria

From Rome bridal boutique, The Woman in White, Maria chose a showstopping, ethereal gown by Valentini Couture, with a frothy, full tulle skirt, and plunging, embroidered bodice with subtle sparkle.

“I chose my dress for its elegance, simplicity and sensuality.”

The floral creations for Maria and Gilles’ day were glorious, and all by Romina, of Sartoria Floreale. Maria carried a lovely bouquet in warm, blush and sepia hues, with dramatic bursts of pink and deep red – elegant roses and feathery astilbe paired with lots of greenery.

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“Romina, the owner, impressed us with the poetry that she puts into all her work.”

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Maria’s beautiful and dramatic make-up look was created by Eleonora Vastola of The Art of Make-Up, who also styled Maria’s hair into a stylish braided twist, with lots of romantic, loose curls.

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Maria’s sparkly, silver glitter heels were by Schutz via Yoox, elegant jewellery came courtesy of Iosselliani, and in her hair, Maria added a dramatic, long tulle veil from The Woman in White.

Her final, finishing touch was to add perfume by Chloe.

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Feeling incredibly emotional the very first moment she saw the abbey, Maria knew it was the perfect venue in which to marry Gilles.

“I had very special emotions in my heart. Above all, or day was influenced by our elegant style of living, simplicity, and to have a religious ceremony.”

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Feeling incredibly emotional the very first moment she saw the abbey, Maria knew it was the perfect venue in which to marry Gilles.

“I had very special emotions in my heart. Above all, or day was influenced by our elegant style of living, simplicity, and to have a religious ceremony.”

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A wild and natural arbour of flowers, trailing foliage and twisting branches surrounded the entrance to the wedding chapel, looking just as though it had sprung from the ground.

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On a stone ledge just to one side of the chapel, fans were placed for guests to help themselves, and keep cool in the summer heat, as well as post-ceremony rice inside yellowing book pages made into cones, and orders of service tied with frayed pink ribbons, by Mondo Mombo.

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Maria and Gilles couldn’t have done without the support, creativity and vision of Francesca Ferrazzo, of Framberry Events.

I love the softly weathered and worn elegance to the day, from using frayed ribbons and old book pages, to the use of vintage crystal and candlesticks. It all came together in a beautiful way, with reverence to the venue’s history and heritage.

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Groom Gilles walked down the aisle with his aunt; a sweet and touching moment, and wore a smart navy blue suit from Sartoria Sammarco, together with handmade shoes by Il Gergo, and cufflinks he chose in Paris (no further details provided).

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Maria’s sweet bridesmaids and flowergirls walked down the chapel aisle hand-in-hand, wearing classic ivory dresses with pink sashes, from Jacadi, and waxflower crowns by Sartoria Floreale.

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Maria and her father walked down the flower filled aisle together, and the couple’s ceremony was conducted by Father Adenis Roberto de Oliveira, from Parrocchia Santa Maria della Perseveranza in Rome.

“The first time we saw each other was at the roof garden of  the Orange Hotel in Rome, near San Pietro Square. Maria was there with some friends that I also knew, but during the night we didn’t say anything to each other, except our names.”

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Groom Gilles walked down the aisle with his aunt; a sweet and touching moment, and wore a smart navy blue suit from Sartoria Sammarco, together with handmade shoes by Il Gergo, and cufflinks he chose in Paris (no further details provided).

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“Destiny wanted us to meet again after 6 months, in a disco in Rome, and this time we spent a nice night together. Our promise of marriage was made in Santorini, on August 31 2017, in a beautiful location (Santo Wines), but we were already officially engaged since January 2013.”

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Maria and Gilles exchanged traditional, Catholic vows with one another, and gave each other rings, which they chose at My Golden Age in Genova.

“We chose My Golden Age for our rings, because they have a unique style, and represent and complement us both perfectly.”

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This collection of dramatic and evocative images come to us courtesy of Federica Cavicchi Photography, whose elegant work we’ve featured before on Love My Dress.

“Federica Cavicchi was recommended by our wedding planner. We chose Federica for her style, her empathy, and professionalism at work. We are really happy with the final result – we love Fede!”

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In the lovely cloister courtyard of the abbey, dining tables were laid for a feast; filled with more stunning flowers by Romina at Sartoria Floreale, as well as a whole array of candles and tealights.

As the sun began to set on the day, the candles, abbey spotlights, and festoon lights glowed against the softening sky, and reflected back on a wonderful table plan, with elegant calligraphy on mirrored trays.

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Maria, Gilles and their loved ones sat down to a wonderful wedding dinner made by Lincei Catering. For dessert, there was a sweet table crammed with treats; personalised macarons, speckled sugared almonds and trays of exquisite marzipan.

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Lincei Catering also made a magnificent three-tiered millefoglie cake, decorated with roses and fresh berries.

“We had many magical moments throughout the day, but those that we consider unforgettable are the entrance to the church, photos after the ceremony, the cake cutting, and our first dance.”

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DJ Mauro Cassaza provided the party soundtrack to the evening’s festivities.

“Our first dance track was to the song E, by Vasco Rossi, because he is Gilles’ favourite singer.”

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With balloons, sparklers, dancing and joy, Maria and Gilles’ magical day came to a close in the most perfect way.

“We would not change anything about the day, it was all magnificent!”

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Words of Wedded Wisdom

“I think that the most important thing is to have to the best day of your life with the absolute certainty of the choice you’ve made, and above all to face the whole journey with your partner in total serenity, not caring about what others think, but just about the things that you like!”

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Maria and Gilles, many congratulations, and thank you so much – it’s been completely wonderful to share in your breathtaking day. Many thanks also go to Matteo Fotografia for such a lovely film, and to Federica Cavicchi for these truly stunning images.

That’s all from me for now, but if this glorious Italian wedding has left you wanting more, do take a look at more weddings in Italy on our pages, right here.

With love,

Laura

Credits & Thanks

Laura Callan

Laura Callan View all Laura's articles

Laura is a freelance writer and content creator who loves telling stories. She has keen eye for photography and art, and lives with her husband, cats, and huge amounts of books.

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